Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate in Toothpaste: Ingredients To Avoid - Hello Charlie

Toothpaste Ingredients to Avoid: How to Choose a Safer Toothpaste

June 03 2026, by Hello Charlie Blogs, 7 min reading time

Toothpaste is one of those products we use on autopilot. We squeeze, brush, spit and move on with the day. Then someone shares a long list of “toothpaste toxins”, and suddenly every unfamiliar ingredient looks suspicious.

The truth is less dramatic—and much more useful. Most toothpaste ingredients have a clear job, and toothpaste sold through reputable Australian retailers is intended to be safe when used as directed. The ingredients worth watching depend on your age, oral health, allergies and sensitivities. Most importantly, avoiding an unnecessary additive should not mean giving up an ingredient with a proven dental benefit.

Quick answer: for most adults and school-aged children, a fluoride toothpaste used correctly is the evidence-based default. Consider an SLS-free formula if you experience recurrent mouth ulcers or irritation, choose age-appropriate toothpaste for children, and avoid products with unclear labels or exaggerated therapeutic claims.

What is actually in toothpaste?

A typical toothpaste combines several ingredient groups:

Abrasives remove plaque and surface stains.
Humectants such as glycerine or sorbitol stop the paste drying out.
Binders keep the formula stable.
Surfactants help spread the paste and lift debris.
Flavours and sweeteners make brushing more acceptable without adding decay-causing sugar.
Preservatives control microbial growth.
Active ingredients provide a therapeutic benefit, such as preventing decay or reducing sensitivity.

Australian Prescriber notes that toothpaste contact allergy and irritation can occur, but are relatively uncommon. For most people, modern toothpastes are safe when used properly and help maintain dental health.

Fluoride: do not remove the benefit while chasing a “clean” label

Fluoride is the most important correction to many older natural-toothpaste guides. Community water fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste are complementary; living in a fluoridated area is not, by itself, a reason to skip fluoride toothpaste.

The Australian Dental Association supports fluoride toothpaste used according to age and individual decay risk. Fluoride works largely by contacting the tooth surface, strengthening enamel and helping prevent decay. The World Health Organization also identifies inadequate fluoride exposure as a major contributor to dental caries.

For children, the amount and concentration matter:

From the first tooth to 17 months, follow current Australian guidance and your dental professional’s advice; toothpaste may not be needed for a low-risk child.
From 18 months to five years, the ADA recommends a small pea-sized amount of low-fluoride toothpaste, used with adult supervision.
From six years, standard fluoride toothpaste is generally recommended.

Keep toothpaste out of reach, supervise young children, and teach them to spit rather than swallow. A child with elevated decay risk may need different advice from a dentist.

Toothpaste ingredients you may want to avoid or use with care

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)

SLS is a surfactant that creates foam and helps disperse plaque and debris. It is not accurately described as a carcinogen. However, it can irritate some mouths, and evidence suggests SLS-free toothpaste may reduce pain or duration in some people with recurrent aphthous ulcers. If brushing leaves your mouth sore, an SLS-free formula is a sensible trial.

Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)

SLES is another cleansing surfactant. Its manufacture can create trace 1,4-dioxane unless the impurity is controlled, but that is a manufacturing-quality issue rather than proof that every SLES-containing toothpaste is unsafe. People choosing a simpler formula may still prefer to avoid it.

Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate

Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate is a milder surfactant used for cleansing and foaming. Current evidence does not support calling it a toxin simply because it can enhance penetration in some laboratory settings. The relevant questions are formulation purity, nitrosamine control and whether the finished product irritates your mouth. If you tolerate it, its presence alone is not a strong reason to discard a toothpaste.

Strong flavours, essential oils and fragrance allergens

Peppermint, cinnamon, menthol and other flavour materials can trigger irritation or contact allergy in a small number of people. “Natural flavour” is not automatically gentler. If you develop peeling lips, burning, swelling or recurrent irritation, try a mild-flavoured toothpaste and discuss persistent symptoms with a dentist or doctor.

Artificial colours

Colours do not improve oral health, so choosing a colour-free toothpaste is an easy preference. Approved colour additives are not automatically toxic, but people with a confirmed sensitivity should check the label carefully.

Triclosan

Triclosan is an antimicrobial ingredient with product-specific restrictions. It is no longer common in toothpaste, and most families have no reason to seek it out. This is not the same as saying that any historic exposure was dangerous; current European reviewers have assessed particular toothpaste uses and concentrations separately.

Harsh abrasives and charcoal

Activated charcoal can remove some surface staining, but “natural” does not mean non-abrasive. Frequent use of a highly abrasive paste may wear enamel or expose dentine, particularly if you brush hard. Look for a reputable finished product rather than brushing with loose charcoal or an untested homemade mixture.

Ingredients that are often unfairly labelled as toxic

Propylene glycol

Propylene glycol helps retain moisture and carry flavours. It can occasionally irritate or cause contact allergy, but it is not inherently toxic at every cosmetic or oral-care concentration. Avoid it if you know you react to it; otherwise, assess the finished product rather than the name alone.

Carrageenan

Carrageenan is used as a binder or thickener. Claims about digestive harm usually refer to dietary research and do not establish that ordinary toothpaste use is dangerous. Young children should use toothpaste as directed and be supervised to minimise swallowing, regardless of the thickener.

Titanium dioxide

Titanium dioxide makes toothpaste white. Debate about its use as a food additive should not be copied directly onto every non-food use without considering particle form and exposure. If you prefer a titanium-dioxide-free product, alternatives are easy to find, but avoid presenting all compliant toothpaste containing CI 77891 as proven harmful.

Parabens

Parabens are a family of preservatives with different safety limits; they are not one single ingredient. A paraben-free toothpaste is a valid preference, but the claim that all parabens in toothpaste cause cancer or hormone disease is not supported by current evidence.

What about hydroxyapatite toothpaste?

Hydroxyapatite is a mineral related to the material in teeth and bone. Research on hydroxyapatite toothpaste is growing, and some trials suggest a role in remineralisation and sensitivity. However, fluoride has the deeper public-health evidence base and remains the standard recommendation in Australia. If you want a fluoride-free toothpaste—especially for a child at risk of decay—make that decision with a dentist rather than relying on a marketing comparison.

Should you make toothpaste at home?

Homemade toothpaste sounds transparent, but it is easy to get abrasivity, fluoride exposure, flavour concentration and microbial safety wrong. Coconut oil, bicarbonate and essential oils do not automatically make an effective decay-prevention formula. A professionally manufactured toothpaste gives you controlled ingredients, repeatable performance and directions for safe use.

A practical toothpaste checklist

Choose an age-appropriate fluoride level unless your dentist recommends otherwise.
Look for a complete, readable ingredient list and clear directions.
Try SLS-free toothpaste if you have recurrent ulcers or oral irritation.
Choose a sensitivity toothpaste with a recognised active ingredient if sensitive teeth are the problem.
Avoid swallowing toothpaste and supervise young children.
Do not use “natural”, “non-toxic” or “chemical-free” as substitutes for evidence.

If you want help comparing Australian products, see Hello Charlie’s Natural Toothpaste Cheat Sheet. If you have ongoing pain, bleeding, ulcers or sensitivity, toothpaste shopping is not a substitute for a dental examination.

Sources and further reading

This article provides general information and does not replace personalised dental or medical advice.